A Summer in Forks
by Brunette.Betty
Summary: When Mandah and Shawnie graduate and leave their homes in Michigan to spend the summer with Mandah's Aunt Judy in Forks, WA, they have NO idea what's in store for them. Bonds are formed. How will they be able to leave at the end of summer?
1. Chapter 1

MPOV (Mandahs Point of View)

It was over. My high school experience, over. It was Saturday, June 6th. I sat up in bed and took in the feeling of freedom I felt. I grabbed my cell and dialed Shawnie. "Hello?", she answered, obviously still sleeping. "What the hell! Get up! Are you even packed?", I shouted rapidly. I was very eager because you see, today was the day we left for our trip. I had recently came to an agreement with my Aunt Judy, who lived in a small town in Washington, near Seattle according to Map Quest. I lived near Detroit, MI. She had asked me if I wanted to spend my summer with her. She offered me a job at her shop and her guest house. If you could call it a guest house, it was huge. It was 2 bedrooms, a giant living room, 2 bathrooms. I immediately took advantage of the 2 bedroom situation and asked if Shawnie could come with me. She readily agreed. I think she'd been lonely ever since my Uncle Larry passed away. This summer would be amazing for her as well.

"I'm packed, I'm packed!", Shawnie claimed. "Shower, eat and text me when you're done." I told her. She agreed and we hung up. I went downstairs to grab some breakfast myself before I got in the shower and I ran into my dad. "Today's the big day, huh?", he asked. I could tell he was trying to force happiness onto his face. While he loved his sister Judy, he'd have rather kept me home to himself. "Aw Dad," I said while wrapping him in a big hug. "You knew this day was coming." I said. "I know honey." he replied. "It doesn't mean I have to be happy about it". With that he planted a kiss on top of my head.

"So, does my rolling stone want french toast?", he asked as he raised an eyebrow. "You know me so well!" I answered back, chuckling. We both ate breakfast and talked about the last year, my hopes for the summer and what he was going to do with himself while I was away. "I can deal with a summer Mandah, as long as you're coming home at the end." he laughed. My dad was older so he was already retired. I really didn't know what he was going to do without me being around all the time. I started to feel guilty for leaving him.

We finished our breakfast and I put our dishes into the sink. I ran upstairs and got into the shower. I must have gotten ready in record time today. I couldn't wait to be an adult, out on the road with my best friend...on our own. I called down to my dad for some help on getting my bags out to my SUV. I could tell it pained him to see everything I was taking. It probably looked to him as though I was never coming back. "You know how I am Dad, if I don't bring it, I'll need it." I smiled at him. He relaxed just a little.

After everything was loaded up, I got a text from Shawnie. It read "Ready!". "Alright Dad," I said, "It's time!" He made a scene, of course, I expected it.  
I consoled him for a good 15 minutes before he could pull himself together. I ran into the house to make sure I had everything I needed and to grab something to drink on the road for Shawnie and myself. I came back out and my dad looked substantially more peaceful. After one last hug, I was in my SUV backing out of my driveway.

Shawnie lived about 10 minutes away so I was there in no time. She came bounding down the stairs of her porch when she saw me backing into her driveway. "Help me load these, hurry!" she yelled. She came running towards the back of my truck with her arms full of her load. "Something wrong?" I laughed. "I cannot take the sappy goodbyes, they won't stop!" she said very seriously. Apparently the guilt was eating at her, too. I laughed as I opened the back hatch for her and jogged over to her pile of bags. She was bringing as much, if not more than I was. We would be wanting for nothing apparently. The thought made me smile at how similar we were. "You have to go say a final goodbye, Shawnie." I smiled at her grimace. "We're not leaving until you do." I said, raising the pitch of my voice in a mocking manner. "Ugh!" she huffed and took off towards her front door. I could hear the faint crying sound of her mother. Ok, so she had the more awkward goodbye session, I had to admit. At least I didn't have to deal with tears.

She came back out, slowly this time, one arm stuck behind the screen door. It took me a moment to realize, her mom wasn't letting go. "Poor Shawnie." I said to myself with a smile. She finally freed herself and made it to the passenger side door. I clicked the locks and she opened it. "What's all this?" she said as she climbed in. "Road trip food, of course!" I said excited as I tossed her her drink. I had packed only healthy things, we were sticklers about that. There was no way we'd be stopping at fast food places on this trip. Shawnie smiled at the mangos I packed just for her, they were her favorite. "Thanks." she said as she smiled.

"Let's do this!" I said as I reached to shift into drive but something was in the way. I looked down and saw a white envelope. I picked it up and eyed it suspiciously. I opened the envelope and it contained a large amount of cash, a credit card and a note. "I'm so proud of you. I want you to make this a summer to always remember. Love, Your Old Dad". My eyes teared up as I shoved note towards Shawnie, who was looking confused. She grabbed the envelope and her eyes bugged. "Summer to always remember, for sure! Think of the clothes!", she said excitedly. We both laughed as I finally put the truck into drive and we pulled away. The adventure begins.

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	2. Chapter 2

MPOV

We'd been on the road for what felt like forever and passed through several states. We decided that we'd stop once in every state to shop. We picked out the cutest summer clothes, not to mention, shoes. It was a personal obsession of ours. It was only a short time now until they arrived in Washington. I drove as Shawnie slept. We'd been taking turns and that was working out pretty well, but it also got a little lonely. I spent my time alone fantasizing about the beach. Michigan had a lot of beaches, being the "Great Lakes" state, but what is a lake compared to an ocean. I'd never seen an ocean before. As I imagined the tan I would get, I passed the sign officially welcoming us to Washington and informing us it was the "Evergreen state". I nudged Shawnie to wake her up in time to catch it. She yawned "How much farther?", she asked sleepily. I estimated the distance in my head and laughed. "Around 8 more hours." I said and laughed as a look of pain took over her face.

"Well, we're officially in Washington now, right? Can we stop and shop?" she asked. I couldn't deny her that. She'd been a good road trip buddy and if a stop at a mall would get her through the last leg of our trip, I was all too happy to oblige. Not to mention, I love to shop, too!

I drove around until I found the Spokane Vally Mall. It was decent sized and looked promising. I decided this time, I'd buy a thank you gift for my Aunt Linda instead of buying something else for myself as I was already well stocked for summer. I made a pit stop at Macy's and picked out a necklace for her. After stopping at a few stores with Shawnie, we headed back out on I-90.

After a few hours, I asked Shawnie to take over. She did so, graciously. My eyelids were getting super heavy as I snuggled in as best I could. Hopefully when I woke, we'd be in Forks.

I had a dream during my nap and I didn't understand it as it was happening. After waking up, all I could remember was being immensely sad. I don't think I'd felt that kind of sadness since my mom passed away. It dawned on me then, I must have been dreaming about her. At first, I'd dream of her every night. I would be exhausted during the day. Over time, years, the dreams lessened. Time does heal wounds. I wondered why I was dreaming about her now when I hadn't in almost a year. I let that thought slip out of my mind as I noticed we weren't moving anymore. "What's going on?" I said while I stretched. "We're here!", she squealed. I sat up and looked around. It was definitely my Aunt's place. She'd sent me pictures online, so I recognized it immediately. I looked to the side and saw the guest house, our future home for the next few months.

I grabbed the Macy's bag and Shawnie, and headed to the door where I knocked. Silence. I knocked again. Nothing. "Wait here." I said to Shawnie and stepped off the porch and headed to the back of the house. Empty. It was then I realized, there was no car here. I jogged around front and motioned to Shawnie. "She's not here.", I told her. I came to the conclusion aloud, she must be at her shop. "Let's go try to find this place and see if we can't find her." I said.

I hopped in the drivers side and backed out of her long driveway. After following the meager traffic, we made it downtown. It was a good thing we'd done shopping on the way out here because "downtown" was basically nothing. I thought it would be a bit more challenging to find my Aunt Judy's store, I was wrong. After parking on the street, I armed myself with the Macy's bag and Shawnie once more. As we entered the shop, a little bell sounded our arrival. "Aunt Judy?", I called. "Mandah?!", I heard her respond. She came around the corner pretty quickly, looking stressed and disheveled. "Oh, I was afraid you'd get here before I got home!", she said. "My girl called off today...again." She then looked to Shawnie and said "There's another opening in my shop this summer if your interested. Just don't call off everyday like Kristen. I don't know why I ever hired that girl." she laughed. Shawnie thanked my Aunt Judy and accepted the job.

"I was getting ready to leave to go see one of my contractors before heading home, you girls can follow along if you'd like. Might help you see how I do business!" she sounded excited. My Aunt Judy's business was antique and unique home furnishings and design. It was something I wasn't very interested in but Shawnie was actually getting pretty worked up about it. She was all about design. "It's a hard place to find, so follow close. Her name is Esme Cullen. She gives me tons of business as she's always got projects and customers knocking down her door. Lovely woman." she said.

We went out to my truck, I once again got behind the wheel. I realized I had forgotten to give the necklace to my Aunt. I decided maybe it would be best to wait til we got home anyway. I waited for my Aunt to pull out in front of me and then pulled out into what little traffic was left. She was right about it being hard to find. It felt like we were driving through the forrest. It started to make me nervous. It wasn't the only reason I was beginning to feel nervous but I didn't understand why that was. Just as the sun began setting, we pulled up in front of a huge glass house. A woman, I assumed Esme, was standing outside with a warm smile of greetings spread across her beautiful face. I gasped.

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	3. Chapter 3

SPOV (Shawnies Point of View)

"Esme!", Mandah's Aunt Judy shouted, "How wonderful to see you again, dear!". I watched her make her way up the driveway towards the devastatingly beautiful woman. They took one anothers hands and both were all smiles. Mandah got out of the car and motioned for me to follow. "Esme, this is my niece Mandah," she began as Mandah and Esme shook hands, Mandah shuddered a little but smiled. "And this is her best friend, Shawnie!", she cried. I reached my hand out and I realized why Mandah shuddered. Esme's hands were ice cold. I didn't know how she could stand it. However, I returned her excited smile.

"It's so nice to meet you ladies!", she gushed. "Judy's been telling me about your arrival. I hear you're going to be working for her?", she asked. "Yes", I responded, "I was actually just hired today!", I laughed. "Well then, it sounds as if Mandah might be available to me then!" Esme beamed at Mandah's aunt. "I told Esme that design wasn't really your thing, Mandah. She told me she was looking for a part time assistant. Of course, I didn't have Shawnie then. If you'd rather do that, that'd be fine with me. I'm sure you'd be happier." Judy told her.

That piqued Mandah's interest and she began asking questions. Job duties, hours, where her office was. This deal was basically sealed. "Let's go inside and we can nail out all the details when your Aunt and I are finished." Esme offered her. We all followed her up the stairs and into the foyer. A quiet "Wow", slipped out of my mouth and Esme smiled. "Come on in ladies, can I offer anyone something to drink?", she asked. Mandah was the only one to say yes so Esme showed us into the living room and set off to get Mandah a water. "This place is unbelievable!", Mandah whispered. "Thanks, it's all from my shop", her aunt giggled. Just then, Esme returned and handed Mandah the water. "Thank you Esme." Mandah said genuinely. "No problem, sweetheart.", she smiled.

"Now Judy, I've got my order sheets ready to go.", she explained as she handed several pink sheets over to Judy. "How long before the inventory will be ready?", she asked. Judy fished into her sweater pocket, grabbed her glasses and pushed them onto the bridge of her nose before going over the sheets. "Oh, I'd say 4-5 business days tops. There are a couple things we'll have to send out for, but those will just take a couple days to ship. This shouldn't be a problem", Judy assured her. I zoned out about then and stared around the room. Everything was so exquisite. It looked like royalty should live here. It felt wrong to even be sitting on the couch, at that thought, I laughed quietly to myself. It was just then that 2 young men entered the room. Esme's face lit up at the sight of them. "Ladies, these are2 of my sons!" Esme gushed to us. "Edward, Jasper, please come say hello."

With that, the 2 boys came forward, one smiling, one looking apprehensive. "Hello, my name is Jasper", the smiling one said. He put out his hand to be shaken. "Hi, I'm Shawnie, this is Mandah", I informed him. He shook my hand and then Mandah's hand but she was still staring at the other boy...a look of apprehension coloring her face as well. "This is Edward.", Jasper said, while elbowing his brother. Edward snapped out of his daze and shook our hands. Pausing as he shook Mandah's. This was a little strange. Judy and Esme continued to talk shop as I made small talk with Jasper. I asked the normal new-to-town questions. What was there to do?- being the most important. "Well, we're really big on camping and hiking.", he laughed at what I thought must be an inside joke, because he looked over to Edward as he laughed. The severe look on Edwards face didn't escape me...or Mandah. She looked intimidated.

Completely out of the blue, Edward broke completely out of his daze. "I can't do this anymore", he announced. He turned quickly on his heel and marched away, faster than I would have thought possible. The fact that he had stared at Mandah the entire time had not escaped anyones notice, so that when he left, everyone, myself included, stared at her as if we were taking over for him. "What?", she asked innocently. "I didn't say anything!", she continued. "Did I offend him? I'm so sorry if I did!" Mandah was definitely rattled and I'd never seen her that way before. It took me off guard. At this point, I was wanting nothing but to go home and unpack. Today had me completely exhausted.

As if sensing my weariness, Judy rang in with, "Well, Esme, if there's nothing else tonight, I want to get these girls home. They've been on the road for days. And if seems as if you have a son to track down.", she giggled at the end. "I am so sorry about that ladies, really. I don't know what's wrong. Edward is usually the perfect gentleman.", she said, clearly embarrassed and concerned. "I'll call you tomorrow Judy, maybe we can have lunch.", Esme smiled. "And Mandah, I'll call you in a couple days to give you your schedule. I'll give you a few days to explore and get used to being here." I wondered when I'd be starting my job. I hoped Judy would give me a few days as well so I could go exploring with Mandah.

Esme walked us out to our cars. We all said our goodbye's and then Mandah and I got into the truck. We followed Judy out and the trip seemed double as long coming back. Wasn't it usually the other way around? We got home and Judy helped us unload our bags. I took a look at the guest house and was thankful it was larger than I had expected because our bags were piled deep in the living room. Judy gave us a tour and stopped in the kitchen at the end to show us that she had stocked the fridge and cupboards. I had forgotten all about being hungry a few hours ago but at the mention of food, my stomach grumbled it's desire. "Make you a deal?" Mandah offered. "If you'll cook, I'll put our suitcases in our rooms." The thought of dragging the suitcases around anymore tonight was enough to make me agree. I headed to the kitchen and started gathering ingredients for spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs when while at the sink washing my hands, I saw a boy outside from the window. He was outside of a shed, under the light, cutting wood. He was beautiful. It was everything I could do to keep from dropping everything as he caught my eye over and over. I suddenly felt compelled to introduce myself. This was my summer to remember always, after all. I should be making friends, I justified to myself. After everything was prepared and was cooking on low heat, I snuck out of the side door, on a mission.

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	4. Chapter 4

MPOV

After making a deal with Shawnie that I would lug our suitcases to our respective rooms, I sat down on the couch for a moment. I closed my eyes and ran through the bazaar events of the day. I guess I had had certain expectations for our arrival and they certainly didn't include being given the old stink eye. I knew that sometimes people just flat out don't like you for no reason but was it necessary to cause a scene about it? "Gentleman my ass", I whispered to myself before I shoved off of the couch and made my way to the giant pile of suitcases. I grabbed two that I knew were Shawnies and dragged them through the living room and down the hallway. I peeked my head into both room to check them out. They were almost identical in size and decor and each had it's own bathroom. I hadn't expected that, I mean, I knew it was a two bathroom but I assumed that meant one main bathroom and one master bath off of a bedroom. I smiled to myself as I realized things must be different in guest houses. My Aunt Judy had sent me a picture of her house online before I came out but she didn't send me a photo of the guest house, she said she wanted it to be a surprise. It certainly was. It wasn't so much a house as it was a cottage. I would have to remember to take pictures tomorrow to send to my dad.

After a quick round of eeny-meeny-miney-moe, I dragged her two suitcases into the room on the left. The next trip I managed 2 more suitcases and, what I assumed, was a giant makeup case. This continued until all of Shawnie's stuff was in her room. I was so tired, I almost didn't care about my things but I had made a deal. I went out into the living room to collect my things and the smell hit me. I sighed. Shawnie was an amazing cook. The spices were making my mouth water. I peeked into the kitchen and Shawnie wasn't there. I thought I must be losing my mind. I went back into the living room, down the hallway and into both rooms and bathrooms. No Shawnie. I made my way full circle and made it back into the kitchen. I assumed she must have went out to the car for something so I rested against the kitchen counter for a moment to take in the full smell of dinner. I turned to the stove and lifted the lid off of the sauce and inhaled deeply. I went to grab a spoon to stir and sample it but when passing the sink something caught my eye. There was a guy outside, shirtless. Now, it wasn't like that wasn't reason enough for me to stare but it wasn't the reason why I was at the moment. It was Shawnie.

Shawnie was standing against the side of his red shed. I considered going outside to introduce myself but decided against it. I'm a master of reading body language and Shawnie's was screaming "HOT DAMN!". She had one leg propped back against the shed and her arms were crossed. There was a permanant smile on her face and every once in a while, a hand would come up and twirl a piece of hair. "Can't say I blame her.", I laughed to myself before heading out of the kitchen to both give her privacy and to finish my first task at hand, the suitcases.

After I got my things into my room, I started to unpack. I unloaded my bathroom things first. Next came clothing and shoes. My miscellaneous things came last. Finally, I stripped the bed and put all the linens into the hallway linen closet. I remade the bed with a set I had bought specifically for this trip. The room now looked like I lived there. I was sure after Shawnie did the same to her room, our rooms would no longer look identical.

I laid down on my new bed and fought falling asleep. I knew I'd have to get up soon and turn off the stove before our dinner burned. I was pretty certain it was the last thing on Shawnies mind at the moment. Just as I was about to get up and head in there, my cell rang. I rolled over and looked at the clock. It read 9:23pm. I assumed it was my dad since I forgot to call to let him know I was here and safe. Upon picking up the phone I realized that not only was it not my father, I didn't know who it was. It was a Forks area exchange so I assume it would be my aunt from her home line since I only called her cell. "Hello?", I answered. "Hello," the voice said, obviously nervous or uncomfortable, "may I please speak with Mandah?" Even though I heard him speak only one sentence, I knew who it was immediately. "Um, you, uh... you already are." I managed to choke out. This day was seriously never going to end I decided then. "Mandah," he breathed, "this is Edward Cullen, Esme's son." he informed me. "I'm sorry about the late hour but this couldn't wait til morning. I didn't want you to go to sleep tonight with a certain opinion of me and have it sealed." he spoke meaningfully. "Alright....", I said, still very confused. "I had a, um, a headache earlier tonight. I wanted to let you know my attitude had nothing to do with you. I was very rude and I apologize.", he offered. I sat for a moment thinking about what he said. If I were smart, I'd leave it at that and accept his apology so I could get him off the phone as soon as possible. Even on a telephone, miles away, he still intimidated me. I hated it. "Edward, I can't accept, I'm sorry." I told him. Silence. "May I ask why?" he asked. He had apparently been expecting a different reaction. "A headache is understandable," I began. "however, it doesn't explain why you were glaring at me. No one else but me. It can't be because you didn't know me, because you didn't know Shawnie either. So, you can tell Esme I accepted for her sake because you obviously humiliated her, which is the only thing I'm sorry for." I spat. I was getting worked up! How strange! "If you don't mind I've had a long day, I'm exhausted, mentally and physically, I'm starving and I have to go rip Shawnie away from a shirtless wood chopping indian." I slammed my cell shut before he could respond. My night was going to hell fast.

I flipped my cell back open as I made my way down the hallway and dialed Shawnie. I walked to the sink and looked out the window and saw her fishing her phone out of her pocket and holding up a "hold on" finger to the boy. "Yes?" she answered. "Yes, dinner is served ma'am. I know you're starving so if you can't manage to pull yourself away from Boy Wonder out there", Shawnie interrupted me "Jacob", she corrected me. "His name is Jacob." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Ok then, Jacob. If you can't manage to pull yourself away from Jacob, why don't you just invite him to have dinner with us. Either way, I'm eating now. You're stuffs in your room and ready to be unpacked. Also, you're never going to believe who just called me. I'll tell you when you get back in." I told her. "What? Who? Tell me!", Shawnie said, she couldn't stand a good mystery. "Sorry, you'll find out later, bye!" And with that I hit end and dialed another phone number. It rang once. "Mandah!" my dad yelled. "I'm here dad but before you start, I'm tired, cranky and starving. I just wanted you to know I'm here at Aunt Judys and all is well. I'll call you in the morning and give you details. I love you." He agreed, said he understood and I hit end.

I went to the stove and made myself a plate. I set it on the table before grabbed a fork and a glass. I set the fork by my plate and went to the fridge to see what there was to drink. I settled for water. On the way back to the table, I grabbed a napkin. I had twirled a good size mouthful onto my fork, complete with meatball and had it half way into my mouth when I heard the front door open. Shawnie walked in, followed right behind by Jacob. "Hi...", I said, mouth full of food. "Hey, nice to meet you" he said.

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	5. Chapter 5

SPOV

I had to focus really hard to actually hear what this Jacob was saying. I hoped he hadn't noticed how my eyes were darting from his chest back to his eyes. What I had heard however, was that his name was Jacob, he was 19 years old and he had just graduated as we had. I think he said something about being held back in 7th grade but to be honest, my mind had wondered then. I was severely distracted by him. "Are you going to answer that?", he said as he smiled and pointed to the phone in my pocket. "Oh, whoops, yeah." I held up my finger to him. It was Mandah. I remembered then just how starving I actually was. She was withholding information from me and that was just completely unacceptable. If it hadn't been for that, I probably would have stayed out here til I literally starved to death talking to Jacob. "So, that was my roomie/best friend Mandah. She called to let me know dinner was ready, wanna join us?" I asked, certain he would say no. His eyebrows shot up and a look of surprise crossed his face. "Food?", he laughed, "Pshhh, I'm there, let's go." Apparently my speed of walking wasn't fast enough for him because he stopped about 5 feet ahead of me, turned around and bent over in front of me so fast, I couldn't have stopped him if I'd wanted to. He lifted me up over his shoulder. It was very caveman of him. I giggled and kicked my feet, pretending to want to be put down. Thankfully, he didn't listen. We made it to the door pretty quickly and he set me down. I went for the door handle but looked back at him to teasingly glare at him. I turned back and opened the door. The smell of the food made my stomach do flips and if I wasn't mistaken, I think I heard Jacobs stomach grumble. I laughed as we walked in to find Mandah leaned over her plate, fork in mouth, looking as surprised as I felt that Jacob had actually come.

"Hi", Mandah tried to say. I shook my head in embarrassment for my friend. "Hey, nice to meet you", he said. I slid past him and grabbed two plates off the counter and loaded them both up. I set them on the table and motioned for Jacob to sit. He took a seat next to me as I began to dig in. He eyed his plate skeptically. "Um, what is this?" he asked while poking the squash noodles. "Just try it." I said while I nudged him and tried to smile without exposing the food in my mouth. He laughed a little and nodded. He twirled a small bite onto his fork and added a small piece of meatball. He lifted it to his mouth but before eating it, he sniffed it. "Smells pretty good." he said before sticking the fork into his mouth. Both Mandah and myself watched him chew with intensity. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. He looked up as his chewing slowed. His gaze darted between Mandah and me. "What?", he asked, mouth full of food. "Well?", I asked. "Well,", he began, "I know where I'm going to be eating dinner all summer!", he laughed. I had NO problem with that. Mandah winked at me.

After dinner, Jacob insisted on doing the dishes. I laughed, "Jake, we've got a dishwasher." He thought for a minute, "Well, it's still one less thing for you to do.", he smiled. "Alright, fine, knock yourself out." Just then Mandah got up and said "Well guys, it's been a crazy, long day. I'm going to go hop in the shower and go to bed." Jake said goodnight and that he'd see her tomorrow as she waved and walked out of the room. That made me smile. If she would see him, I would see him. Then I remembered, Mandah was witholding information from me. "You finish up, I'll be right back.", I told him.

I knocked on Mandah's door and walked in. She screamed a little and clutched a towel to her chest. "God Shawnie, there's a boy in the house. Wait for me to answer, you could have been him!" she squealed. "Don't flatter yourself!", I laughed. Jacob was mine. "Ok," she laughed, "Is there something I can do for you?" I looked at her like her IQ had dropped 50 points. "You got a phone call tonight?", I reminded her. "Oh, yeah, right....so Esme's son Edward called me." Wow, I hadn't expected that. "Seriously?", I asked. "Uh, yeah...he called to "apologize" or something. I didn't accept." she said. Well, that's rude. "Why not?", I asked. It wasn't like Mandah to hold a grudge. She and I got along so well because we were both pretty laid back girls. "I don't know Shawnie, his excuse was lame. I told him he could tell Esme I'd accepted though. There's no reason she should feel weird around me, especially since I'm going to be working for her. The only one who needs to feel weird is Edward and he deserves it anyway for being a complete asshole." she spat out. "By the way," she added, "did you call your parents? Ya know, to let them know we're here?" Oops. "No. I'll call when I go back out there."

Mandah looked deep in thought for a second and then an evil smile spread across her face. "So, Jacob, huh?" she said and laughed, "I know, right?", I said, in awe. "I think he likes you..." she added. My heart stopped. "Shut up.", I said as I rolled my eyes. I smiled inside. I figured she was probably just messing with me. "Whatever, you'll see." she said as she got up off her bed. "I'm going to go shower now." she announced. "Yeah, that smells like a good idea." I said. Her face was priceless. I laughed.

I left her to her shower and went back out to the kitchen. Jacob was standing, arms crossed, leaning against the sink. "So, are you tired, too?" he asked. I was. I was exhausted. I didn't know how I was still awake to be honest. "No. I'm good.", I lied. He smiled as if he knew I was lying. I probably looked half dead. "Well, wanna watch a movie or something?", he asked. Damn...I didn't pack any movies. "I don't think we have any..." I admitted. I was kicking myself so hard in that moment. I brought my whole damn house but I can't manage to squeeze in a damn DVD? "That's ok, I can run home and grab one. I'll be back in less than 5 minutes.", he offered. Two hours, in the dark, on the couch...with Jacob. "Sounds good!", I said. He smiled as he said he'd be right back and left. I watched him jog until he was swallowed up by the dark. I ran into my room and tore into my bags. Toothbrush! Where did I put it!? I found my toothpaste and settled for just that since time was not on my side. I squirted some onto my finger and "brushed" my teeth. I grabbed a suitcase I knew contained clothing and found a pair of pink and black pj's. I put them on in a hurry and darted for Mandah's room. Her things were all put away, I could find what I needed in there. I ran into her door and she screamed again. "What the hell Shawnie, what did I tell you?" she yelped. "It's no biggie, Jacob isn't here anymore." I laughed. "He's coming back though and I need a hair tie and some smell good stuff. We're going to watch a movie.", I confided. She pointed towards her vanity and continued getting dressed. I heard a knock at the door and knew it was Jacob. As I bolted from Mandah's room, she was towel drying her hair and turning on her tv.

"Ok, I grabbed a couple for you to choose from and I brought popcorn!", he said handing over the movies. I looked them over and decided I wanted to watch "Transformers". He was in the kitchen popping the popcorn. I started to her kernels popping as I saw him enter the living room with his hands behind his back. He put them in front of him, closed fists down. "Pick a hand.", he told me. I laughed and pretended to think really hard about which hand I should choose. I settled for the left one. He turned his hand over, palm side up, and opened his fingers. It was a Hersheys kiss. He opened his other hand and I saw it, too, contained a kiss. He unwrapped my kiss and came closer. "Open up.", he commanded while smiling. I never knew chocolate could be so intense. I parted my lips and he popped the kiss into my mouth. He then unwrapped his and popped it in his mouth before turning around to get the popcorn which I realized had stopped popping. I stood there with my mouth hanging open with the chocolate still inside it. I composed myself before he could come back. "Grab a couple waters, too!" I yelled. Suddenly, my throat was very dry.

He returned in a couple minutes with a big bowl of popcorn and 2 waters. I crouched down in front of the dvd player and loaded it up. I could feel Jacobs stare burning a hole through me. I blushed as I got up and grabbed the remote. I took a seat to his right. The movie was about 1/2 way through before I couldn't stay awake any longer. My head would lower and as I'd feel myself falling asleep, I'd jerk it upright again. This was embarrassing. I was surprised when Jacob put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me down onto his chest. I inhaled and realized he smelled amazing. I was in complete comfort. Suddenly, I was asleep.

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	6. Chapter 6

MPOv

I woke to the sunlight burning my eyes open. I rolled over and tried burying my face under my pillow to try to get more sleep. I wasn't successful. I peeked out of my comforter to see what time it was. 7:04am. Nice. I'd have to remember to buy some thicker curtains. I pulled myself out of bed and stuffed my feet into my slippers so I could go into the kitchen and grab some breakfast or some juice in the least. I opened and closed my bedroom door softly so I wouldn't wake Shawnie up if she were still sleeping. Chances were good seeing as how my room was the one with the direct morning light. Ugh. Never trust eeny-meeny-miney-moe.

As I emerged into the living room from the hallway, I smiled as I saw Shawnie and Jacob entwined on the couch. I turned around and headed back towards the linen closet and grabbed a blanket that I gently spread across them. I decided then that I'd go see if my Aunt was up. I could just eat breakfast there so I let myself quietly back into my room and slipped on a pair of faded black, rolled capris and the "Soothsayer" tank top I had bought for the trip on ModCloth . com. I sat at the vanity for a moment and pulled my hair back into a high ponytail. I grabbed my cell and a pair of flip flips. I felt pretty good til I got outside. Wow, it was cold. The sun had seemed so bright in my room yet it looked pretty much overcast. I didn't want to sneak back into the house and risk waking Shawnie and Jake up, so I just ran to my Aunts. I suddenly remembered I wanted to take pictures today, I needed to remember that.

I wondered if my Aunt would even be awake? I could have just made this trip for nothing, I realized upon opening the screen door. I knocked lightly so I wouldn't wake her if she were still sleeping. The place was pretty huge so even if she was awake, chances of her hearing me were slim. I tried the door and it popped open. "Not smart Aunt Judy", I thought to myself.

I crept in and looked around. I made my way around and finally found the kitchen. I was in full stealth mode which I realized was unnecessary when I entered the kitchen to see my Aunt at her laptop, in her robe and reading glasses, nursing a cup of steaming coffee. "Aunt Judy?", I whispered, trying not to scare her. She peeked up from her cup of coffee, looking a little surprised, in a good way. "Mandah! Good morning!" she smiled. "Come on in, are you hungry?" she asked while setting her cup down. "Starving Aunt Jude.", I admitted while I chuckled a little. Right then I hoped she wouldn't ask why I wasn't eating at the guest house. I didn't want to explain the situation happening on the couch. "Come on in, have a seat. What do you want?", she offered. "Oh, I can get it. Just point me in the right direction....Cheerios maybe? Do you keep fruit in the house?" I asked, hopeful. "Of course, she said, pointing behind me to the giant fruit bowl on the counter. "Awesome!", I smiled and headed in the directions she was giving me to hunt down a bowl, plate, spoon, knife and Cheerios. "Splenda's in the cupboard just to your right." she informed me. After my bowl was full, I grabbed an apple which I sliced on the plate after I sat down. There's something so healing about breakfast. It's probably my favorite meal of the day.

"So, where's Shawnie?" my Aunt finally asked, noting her absence. I searched my mind quickly for an answer that wouldn't alarm my Aunt but also wouldn't be a lie. "She fell asleep on the couch watching a movie last night. She's still there. I covered her up before I left though.", I hoped that would suffice. It seemed to. "I have to go into the shop today, so I'm not going to be around. Do you ladies have everything you need?", she asked? It touched me how much my Aunt cared. We never really got the chance to be close when I was growing up and I was amazed at how motherly she was towards me. "We're good Aunt Jude. My dad gave me a good chunk of change and a credit card so if we need anything, we can head out and find it." I told her. She laughed. "Honey, if you think you're going to find anything around here? You're mistaken.", she continued to laugh as she got up to grab a pen and a piece of paper. "I'm going to write down directions to Port Angeles, if you girls need anything, it should be there. If it's not, there's always Seattle. I'd try Port Angeles first though, it's closer." she said as she started writing.

A minute later she slid the paper across the table towards me. I folded it and put it in my pocket as I got up to put my dishes in dishwasher. I spotted the clock as my Aunt said she needed to head out. It was 7:30am. I decided to head back to the cottage to grab my camera, car keys and purse. I was going to explore Forks a little bit today while Shawnie explored Jacob.

When I got in my truck, I had goosebumps all over. It was awfully cold for June. I was wishing for the sun to come out so my arms could at least get a little color. I was out of luck it seemed. I gave up the thought of sun and drove into town. I found a drug store and pulled over. Ok, so instead of exploring exactly, I was under florescent lights, shopping for makeup. I filled the basket with probably too much stuff and headed to the counter to pay. The woman behind the counter introduced herself to me, recognizing me from photos my Aunt Judy had shown her. I hoped this wasn't going to become a trend. If it was, I'd skip Forks all together and head to Port Angeles.

I got back out to my truck and hopped in. It had started to rain. It was still only about 8:15am so I decided just to drive around. Maybe I could at least become familiar with the area. After driving for 23 minutes, I was completely lost. The rain had picked up, too. I didn't really mind either, I had all the time in the world and a full tank of gas. I did mind, however, when I heard a loud pop and heard my drivers side back tire flopping around. I just blew a tire. In the middle of nowhere.

I sat for a moment and listened to the rain. I was completely capable of changing a tire but I didn't want to go out into the cold and rain as I was still wearing a tank top. I decided to try to wait to rain out. I put in a Green Day CD and closed my eyes. The rain was so relaxing that I would have fallen asleep if there hadn't been a sharp tapping on my window. I jumped and turned the music down as I rolled down the window. "Edward?", I gasped. "Car trouble?" , he asked, smoldering as he flashed me a crooked smile. I thought my heart would rip out of my chest.

"My tire blew," I found myself confessing, "I was going to fix it when the rain died down." A confused look crossed his face. "Mandah, this rain could go on for days...", he trailed off. Now I was the one looking confused. "Huh? I don't understand?" I was feeling a little vulnerable and I didn't like it. "This is Forks, Wa Mandah, one of the rainiest places in the country." Oh no. Big miscalculation on my part. "It doesn't usually get over 70 here in the summer..", he continued. Shoot. I spent so much money on summer clothes. I wouldn't be able to wear any of them. I hadn't realized I'd said the last 2 things out loud. "Guess I'm going to have to go to Port Angeles and buy some new clothes. Shawnie will love that.", I thought out loud. "I could take you, if you'd like..." he offered.

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	7. Chapter 7

SPOV

I woke up confused. It took me a second to realize I had slept in a new place. Not only had I slept in a new place, I'd slept with some guy? I realized this as I pulled myself up. Then it hit me. This just wasn't just "some guy", it was Jacob. My mind screamed "EMERGENCY" at me as I sat up completely and slid off the couch, not waking Jake up. I peeked up and saw a wet circle on his shirt. Oh my god...I drooled on him. Seriously? Oh no. What should I do?- I thought to myself. I ran into my bedroom and started digging through my things. This is a nightmare. I pinched myself to double check and yes, I was awake. I found some oil blotting sheets and decided it probably wasn't going to get better than this. I snuck back out to the living room and stood behind the couch. I removed a blotting sheet and pressed it against his chest softly. It absorbed a little bit. I crinkled it up and grabbed another and continued doing this. "Is it working?", he asked, startling me. I screamed and fell backwards. His head popped over the side of the couch. "Are you okay?, he laughed. My face was hot with embarrassment. "Um, good morning Jake! Want some orange juice?", I rambled, not giving him a chance to question me on that subject again as I took off towards the kitchen.

I had my head in the fridge, searching out the juice. Once I found it, I shut the door and turned around to find this russett colored God standing in the humble kitchen, shirtless. "It's really not a big deal, Shawnie." he laughed. "Please, let's not talk about this...", I groaned. He laughed again. Then he took the 3 steps seperating us and put his hands on my waist. "Drool or no drool...", he said, "you're still the most beautiful girl in Forks." he smiled. "Now, how about that orange juice?", he asked.

MPOV

"I don't know about that..", I said, really uncomfortably. It was then my eyes looked up and met his. The only word that came to mind was: butterscotch. I looked at him like I was trying to solve a puzzle and he looked away. "Listen," he said, "I know you didn't accept my apology. I guess I don't blame you.", I'd lowered my head again. Something felt off about seeing him in person and not being able to smile at him. "Mandah..", he said in a low voice, placing a single finger under my chin, raising my gaze to match his, "I will find a way to make it possible for you to forgive me.", his eyes thick with sincerity. His fingers were so cold, I felt bad for him standing out in this because of me. My mind was fighting against another part of me, a part I'd never heard speak up until now. Whatever that part may be, it won. I smiled at him. "That's a start!", he smiled back. "So, won't you please let me take you to Port Angeles? Or at least, let me fix your tire for you." I panicked, not sure how far I wanted this to go. I didn't want him doing me any favors. It seemed like I would lose the upper hand if he did and I was certain if I relinquished the upper hand, I would be in trouble. "It's okay!", I said, trying to sound super upbeat. I grabbed the door handle and jumped out. I headed to the back and found my spare. Upon looking for my jack however, I came up short. No jack. Shoot. "No, no!" I stopped Edward before he could speak. I got back into my car for a moment and grabbed my keys, purse and a blanket that was in the backseat from the drive to Forks. I hopped back out into the rain, already soaking wet, and said to Edward, "Thanks for your help. It's really not necessary! Bye!" And with that I started walking the direction I'd come in. It was freezing but the blanket that was wrapped around my shoulders helped a little bit.

SPOV

I sent Jake home to shower and get a new shirt. I demanded he leave the shirt I drooled on, so I could wash it. It was only right. I hadn't realized how badly it was raining out. I watched as he ran in the rain. It was stunning. I snapped out of it and went into my room. I managed to put a few things away. Mostly things I needed when I was showering and then I got into the shower. It was almost a waste to shower his smell off. I liked it much better than any body wash scent. I finished my shower, the warm water having given over it's healing powers to my aching muscles. They weren't achy from sleeping on Jake, they were achy from the ride here. Sleeping on Jake was probably just as equally healing as the hot water. I dried off, got dressed and blew my hair dry. I ran over to Mandah's room to sit at her vanity because it was already set up. Covered in anything you could ever want. I did my makeup and finished my hair. Jake hadn't seem me like this before, I realized. Since it was raining out, I decided to dress as warmly as the clothes I brought allowed. I was in a long sleeved tshirt and a pair of jeans. The best I could do shoe wise were skimmers. Hopefully I wouldn't encounter any big puddles today.

I walked out to the living room to fold up the blanket that somehow ended up on Jake and I, but it was folded already and was sitting next to a fresh Jake. "Hey..", I said shyly from the doorway. "Wow..." he said and let out a low whistle of appreciation. I blushed of course. "Did you eat yet?", he asked. I shook my head no. "Well then," he said while standing and putting an arm around my waist, "right this way then." He ushered me into the kitchen and into a chair. "Juice for the lady?", he said, trying to found fancy. "Sure." I laughed, eying him nervously. He set the juice down and decided that he was going to make me an omelet. "Jake, can you actually cook?" I asked. "I'm not really sure, we're about to find out though." he laughed while cracking an egg, half of the shell falling into the omelet. He picked it out and winked at me.

MPOV

"You're being ridiculous!", Edward said, trying to sound stern but laughing. I must have looked interesting. I'd wiped under my eyes and realized my mascara and eyeliner were running all down my face. "Please, get in the car Mandah." I stopped walking and thought about it. "I can't, I'm all wet.", I said and began walking again. He stopped and got out of the car, leaving his door wide open. "If you think I care more about the interior of a car than I do about you getting sick out in all of this rain, then you're obtuse.", he accused. Swooping me up in one liquid movement, so fast, my eyes couldn't follow. Before I could really even protest, he was at the passengers side of his door, opening it. Before he set me inside, he stared at me so intensely, I felt like he could see my soul. What was up with this guy? "Ok,", I told him, "take me home please." With that, he lowered me into the car and made it to his side and got in. "It would be my pleasure." he smiled and we were on our way towards my new home.


	8. Chapter 8

SPOV

Jake had finished making me breakfast, if you could actually call it breakfast since it wasn't exactly edible. Upon taking my first and only bite, I realized his "omelet" was basically burnt egg, shell and cheese. Eggs should never be crunchy. "Sorry!" Jake apologized for the hundredth time. He looked only a little mortified. "It's alright!" I said as I dumped my plate in the sink and rinsed my mouth out with water. Jake got up and started opening cupboards. Uh oh. "Jacob, what are you looking for?", I asked, praying he wasn't going to take a shot at making pancakes. "The one thing I KNOW I can make!", he chuckled as he grabbed a box of cereal down. "Take the cereal and sit, I've got this one.", I laughed. I grabbed a two bowls and two spoons and set them on the table before turning around to the fridge to grab the milk. No sooner had I set the milk on the table, I heard a car pulling up. I walked to the door and peeked out. It wasn't Mandah's Edge. It was a silver car. Seconds later, I saw Edward emerge from the drivers side, make his way to the passengers side to open to the door. Mandah was with Edward? Did I miss something here?

I opened the door and Mandah looked at me intensely as if she were trying to speak to me with her eyes. Luckily, we'd been friends long enough for me to know exactly what she meant. We needed to pow-wow. Our pow-wows consisted of quick meetings in one of our bedrooms, sitting on a bed, eating a piece of chocolate and unloading some heavy stuff. Edward followed Mandah through the doorway. "Great place, I didn't know this cottage was here..." he said as he put his hands in his pockets and looked around. "We'll be right back!", I told mostly Jake. As we made our way down the hall to Mandah's room, I heard Jake greet Edward and offer him a bowl of cereal, which he declined laughing. I heard the sounds of male bonding, i.e. hands slapping. Did Jake know Edward? Maybe I'd have to pow-wow with him next, find out if he knew what was wrong with this kid. However, the thought of Jake and I, alone, on a bed...made me think of more valuable things we could be doing.

MPOV

I let go of Shawnies hand, which I was certain I must have been cutting the circulation off of, as we entered my room. I shut the door quietly and leaned my back against it, hyperventilating. I swallowed hard and walked crookedly to the bed where I sat down and grabbed a chocolate out of my chocolate box. I unwrapped it and popped it in my mouth and held the box out for Shawnie. She took a piece and did the same. "Shawnie," I began, "I don't know what's going on." She looked at me like I was nuts. "Why were you in his car?", she asked. "The Edge blew a tire! It was storming out so I sat there for a bit, I was just going to change it myself when it stopped raining but he came!" I scratched at my forehead, a common tick of mine when I was stressed out. "I didn't know what to do, I tried to get out and change it myself in the rain but the jacks gone! Do you have any idea where the jack went?" I asked, shouting a little bit. "Mandah, woah, seriously...calm down. Breathe with me....in....out....yes, just like that...." she said. I tried to follow her breathing as best I could. It helped a little. "Shawnie, I don't get it. Why did he look at my like he hated me yesterday but today he carries me to his car and stares into my eyes like the rest of the damn world doesn't exist? What game is he playing with me?", I was almost weak at this point.

"You got carried today? I got carried yesterday!", she laughed, changing the subject. "What is it with the men in Forks!? Men in Detroit were NEVER like this." I stared at her for a moment and shook my head. "Do you think he's up to something?" I asked her, desperate. I felt myself in a danger I was not familiar with. She thought for a moment before leaning towards me and whispering, "I think Jake knows him.", she said, her eyes wide. "I'll find out what I can." she assured me. "Okay but in the meantime, could you please not let me end up alone with him? I'm scared of him, Shawnie." and with that pitiful admission, she wrapped me in a warm hug. I'd forgotten how cold I was. "Ok, I'm going to change and blow dry my hair, I'll be out in a minute. Find out what you can." I told her as she left my room. I locked the door and dressed in my warmest clothes. A thin yellow tshirt and a pair of black shorts made from sweats material. I rummaged through my sock drawer until I fished out a pair of thigh high, black and white, piano socks. I dried my hair and cleaned my face of makeup. I grabbed a blanket off my bed and headed, holding my breath, out of my room.

SPOV

While Mandah was changing and doing her thing, I decided to see what I could find out. "So!" I said casually as I strolled into the kitchen, standing to Jakes side. "Sounds like you guys know one another?", I asked smiling as if I hadn't a care in the world. "You could say that.." Jake said and they both laughed. "Ohhh, go to school together?", I prodded. "No, we, um, hunt together from time to time." Edward smiled. They looked at one another with knowing glances. I was getting no where. "Jake and I were talking, I informed him that both you and Mandah were both under the impression that being at the ocean meant hot weather and therefore, did not pack correctly." Realization dawned on me. "What do you mean?" I asked cautiously. "It doesn't get too hot here during the summer. More often than not, it's raining and chilly. Today is pretty typical." He motioned to the window. "So, I had offered to drive Mandah out to Port Angeles to buy some warmer clothes and she informed me that you were the more passionate shopper." There was something definitely off about the way he spoke. I made note. Then the opportunity to shop caught my full attention. "Really? You'd take us? What about Mandah's Edge?" I asked him. "I called my brother while you guys were, well, wherever you went. He said it'll be changed soon and that he will call to let me know when it's done. We might as well do something in the mean time, don't you agree?" he said. Very persuasive. Just then Mandah joined us. "We're going to Port Angeles!" I shouted to her. Panic struck her. I walked up and put my arm around her. I whispered in her ear, "You won't be alone with him. I'll even sit next to you in the back!" Mandah went and took her socks off and put on a new pair of flip flops.

We headed out, Jake included. As we got to the silver car, Jake grabbed my hand and asked me to sit next to him in the back. I shot a panicked look to Mandah who shot one right back but waved me off regardless. We took our seats in the back. He hadn't stopped holding my hand. "How far exactly is Port Angeles?" I asked, the longer the better. "About an hour..." Jake answered, smiling. I could see Mandah shivering in the front seat and I felt bad. I wasn't the only one to notice though. Edward went into the trunk to grab a sweatshirt before he entered the car. "Here.." he offered her the sweatshirt. I was pretty sure is she hadn't been near hypothermia, she would have denied the sweatshirt. In this instance, she accepted it. Hoping I was the only one to notice, I watched her inhale the scent of it deeply and slouch down into her seat. Two things didn't change during our ride to Port Anegeles. First, Jake never did let go of my hand. Second, Mandah never took her eyes off of Edward.

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	9. Chapter 9

MPOV

Though the trip to Port Angeles took far less than an hour (much in part to Edwards lunatic driving), the time ticked by slowly for me.

Shawnie and I did a basic shop sweep of the city and grabbed as many things as we could. We ended up packing the back of Edwards volvo up. We couldn't have fit another bag in his trunk had we tried.

The trip back to Forks was uneventful. Edward and Jake supplied one another with conversation. He glanced my way often. It was only when he'd glance that I'd force my eyes off his perfect face in embarrassment.

Once we were back at the cottage, the rain had died down a lot. The boys brought our bags in and Shawnie directed them as to which bags went in which room. The task had barely been completely when Edwards phone rang. Like lightening, he had the cell to his ear.

"Hello?" he answered.  
He concentrated for a moment and smiled. "Thanks Rose." he said and hung up.

"Well, your truck is ready Mandah. My sister, Rosalie, ended up fixing it." He smiled, gauging my reaction. "She tuned it up as well."

I knew that the look of panic spread across my face, he would perceive as me not trusting his sister to fix my truck. He would be wrong, of course. The panic stemmed from the fear of the drive back to my truck....alone. With Edward. I shot a glare in Shawnies direction.

"Do you mind if I go with you to pick it up Edward?" Shawnie chimed in.

In that moment, I was never more grateful for such a perceptive friend. I smiled at her and let out a breath. I hoped he hadn't noticed. His face did fall a bit but he readily accepted. I hoped maybe getting him alone, Shawnie might be able to get a better grip on who this mysterious boy was and what he was about. If nothing else, Shawnie was viciously protective of me.

As they were walking out the door, Edward turned slightly and cast a look back in my direction. His brow was furrowed with thought.

"Are you girls hungry?" he asked.

"Starving..." Shawnie let slip. I scrunched my face up as the focus then turned on me.

"A little." I allowed.

"Great, dinners on me then." He turned to face Shawnie, his hands clasped together in front of him. "You and I can stop along the way to the truck. You can help me select something for Mandah." he turned his eyes to me and smiled a heartbreakingly beautiful crooked smile. I nodded.

"Do you mind if I come, too?" Jake intersected. "Of course not." Edward said. With one knowing look from Shawnie, which meant I was to put her stuff away from the shopping trip in exchange for her services, they were out of the door.

SPOV

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to pump someone for information with a witness. Last thing I wanted to do was offend Edward in front of Jacob, seeing as how they were, apparently, close friends.

"So, Edward..." I began. Not sure exactly what I was going to ask until it was out of my mouth. I decided to just go for it. If Jake got offended at my questioning, I could make it up to him later. "I hear you apologized to Mandah last night."

His eyes flickered to me momentarily. Shock written on his face. "I did." was his response.

"She's really unsure about you. I can tell there's something boiling under your surface for her, I think it's pretty obvious. I have to tell you though, Edward, if you hurt her, if you motives are anything less than pure...well...I'll end you." The corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes sparkled. "I'm not joking, Edward!" I said louder, trying to make him understand.

"Shawnie, listen, I assure you I had my reasons for acting the way I did around her but I promise you that the way I feel about her is completely pure. There's something about her. I almost enjoy her suspicious glances now, though they hurt my feelings at first. At least she's looking at me." he smiled.

I instantly felt like a jerk. "You promise?" I verified. "I promise." he vowed. "Now, what's for dinner? We are a little limited in our choices."

"Well, the only thing we usually eat from restaurants is soup and salad." I admitted.

"Interesting. You both limit what you eat?" he gave Jake a look and they both laughed. I was getting really sick of their inside jokes.

I lost it. "What?! What is so damn funny?"

Jake looked ready to open his mouth but Edward beat him to it. "Sorry, we've just been friends for so long, there's pretty much a story behind everything." he smiled warmly. I couldn't find my train of thought for a moment.

MPOV

I had gotten all of Shawnies things put away and moved on to mine. Once they were put away as well, I grabbed a gray sweater fro my closet and a pair of black leggings and changed. I felt so much warmer right away.

I decided while I waited, I'd watch some tv. I made my way to the couch and sat down indian style. I flipped through the channels mindlessly until I heard a sound outside the window I was sitting next to that caught my attention. I peeked through the blinds and didn't notice anything except that it was raining again. I focused my attention back towards the television. A few moments passed before there was a huge boom outside. I jumped out of my skin. I ran to the door and locked it as I peeked out it's curtains.

Again, I didn't see anything but I started shaking. I grabbed my cell phone and clutched it to my chest as I ventured to look outside again. This time, there was something to see. Or should I say, someone. I screamed as my eyes locked with the blue eyes I'd been running so long from.

SPOV

We'd gotten dinner and Edward dropped me off at Mandah's truck. Jake decided to ride with me on the way back. Edward smiled at that. Who am I kidding, so did I.

When we got back to the cottage there was a red mustang parked out on the road at the end of the long drive that lead to the cottage. I remembered the red mustang that Derek drove. How could I forget? For 6 solid months before coming out to Forks, I was on lookout for it everytime Mandah I went anywhere. He was Mandahs one and only ex boyfriend. They'd dated for a little less than a year when he hit her. It was the first and last time it happened. It had been a daily struggle to avoid him. It was one of the reasons we were excited to be away from Michigan. I bit my lip when I noticed the license plate was dark blue and white. This wasn't just a mustang like Dereks, it WAS Dereks.

I hit the gas pedal. "What's wrong?" Jake said, feeling my panic. I spit out the story as fast as I could. Everything that happened after that came in a blur. I couldn't be sure it was happening.

Jake opened the truck door before I'd come to a full stop. Edward was already at the cottage door somehow. Jake was almost there. I couldn't see what they were seeing. I was scrambling to get out of my truck. I paused in horror as Jake started running towards the door. He leaped into the air and his clothes exploded off of him, being replaced by reddish brown fur. I fell backwards, clutching my chest. Edward grabbed the cottage door and ripped it completely off, as if it were nothing. He turned quickly and threw it. It landed several dozen yards away. They both disappeared into the cottage. I started to cry....

Where was Mandah? What just happened to my Jake? What was Edward?


	10. Chapter 10

SPOV

Edward and what used to be Jacob, disappeared through the empty doorway. I was frozen in place, unsure of what to do. I wanted to run into the cottage but what was waiting for me inside? A super humanly strong boy, a wolf and Mandah's violent ex-boyfriend. What if they were all in on this together? I got the feeling back into my arms and legs at the moment and hopped back into Mandah's truck and locked the doors. I climbed into the backseat and curled into a ball.

Time had no hold on me. I didn't know if I'd been hiding for 5 minutes or 5 hours. I kept thinking about Mandah. I hoped she was okay but the chances were not good. I started to cry...well, to sob really. My best friend was gone. Mandah...is gone.

I was jarred out of my state by a knock on the window closest to my head. I jumped up and scooted across the seat to the other side.

"Shawnie?" a familiar voice called out. "I know you're scared. You don't need to be. I'm so sorry!"

With that apology, I knew that he was apologizing for Mandah's death. I lost myself. Consciousness slowly drained out of me. Time was still irrelevant. My eyelids fluttered and as I looked up, from my lashes, I saw Jacobs face. Before I could react, I was swallowed up by the blackness.

MPOV

"Open the goddamn door, Mandah!" Derek screamed, pounding on the cottage door.

I tried to remember where I had laid my phone down. I went running through the cottage searching. I hadn't found it by the time I'd made a circle through the cottage. I tip toed into the living room, eyes scanning for my phone, when it hit me that it was quiet. Definitely too quiet. I tip toed as quietly as I could to the door and strained to see through the cotton curtains. I saw nothing. I moved the curtain aside a tiny bit and still saw nothing.

I glanced down and saw the door was unlocked. Panic. Oh no. The lock I vividly remembered locking was unlocked. My breaths came in and out in gasps. My entire body started the shake. I slowly turned around to see him standing no more than 2 feet from me, smiling. He closed the distance between us, and locked the door behind me.

"Derek, what..." I started, he interrupted.

"...do I want?" he laughed. "Oh baby, you should have known that if you left, I'd miss you." He had moved so close to me that I could feel his breath on my neck. I had my face turned to the extreme left. He was no pleased that I didn't seem as excited to see him.

"Look at me!!!" he screamed at me. Grabbing a fist full of my hair, he turned my head so that I had no choice but to make eye contact with him.

"This isn't a very romantic reunion, Mandah. You can do better than this." He pulled me away from the door by my hair and threw me to the ground.

"My fallen angel..." he laughed. I felt my stomach roll with nausea. I still wasn't looking happy enough for him. He stood over me and let his fist come down. I blacked out.

I woke up to something wet touching my face. Warm and wet. It felt like my head was on fire, like every rib had been broken. It hurt to be alive. My eyes blinked open to see where the wetness was coming from. Well, I must still be knocked out. Hallucinating. There was a giant reddish brown dog, with a giant, flat, pink tongue....licking my face. As my mind entered my body more and more fully, I realized I was not hallucinating. I screamed and every part of my body screamed back.

I hadn't even blinked when Edward was suddenly in front of me. I screamed again.

"No, no, baby, please don't work yourself up. My fathers on his way. You're very hurt Mandah. You don't know how hard this is for me." he closed his eyes in pain. I was amazed. HE...was in pain? I was pretty sure I was the one in pain. Then the memories hit me.

I tried to sit up but a paw hit me in the chest and sent me back towards the ground with a umph. "Jake, please...go phase back."

Edward called the dog Jake. Derek must have caused me brain damage. Oh no. No college for me. The dog disappeared.

"Where's Derek?" I asked, unable to control the tears from pouring down my face or the my hands from vibrating with fear.

"Shhh, baby, please calm down. Derek is gone. You need to worry about you. Mandah, he almost killed you. We were almost too late. Please forgive me." he choked out a tearless sob.

"Edward..." a deep, strong voice called out.

"Carlisle, in here, hurry."

"Oh my. Alright, first things first. Are you in any pain Mandah?"

I nodded weakly. The pain actually taking a toll on me more than I expected. He reached into a black leather bag on the floor and pulled out a syringe.

"On the count of 3. 3, 2, 1....." he said.

I felt a slightly poke and felt the spread of relief throughout my body. My eyelids became heavy. Just before I was completely under, I saw Jake, shirtless, sweaty, worried...carrying an unconscious Shawnie like an infant cradled in his arms. Shawnie was hurt, too. That this was all my fault was my last thought.

SPOV

I woke up to a blonde god shining a flashlight in my eyes.

"Ok, that's enough..." I said, sleepily.

He smiled and my annoyance disappeared.

"Where's Mandah?" the words stuck in my throat. I looked from the blonde man, to Edward, to Jake. My heart started to race.

"She's fine Shawnie. In her room resting. Derek did a number on her. I'm Dr. Cullen, by the way. Carlisle." he smiled.

I felt as ease. I don't know if it was his smile, Jakes concerned look or Edward staring at Mandah's room like he wanted to be in there more than any place else in the world but I trusted them.

"Where's Derek?" I breathed.

"I can't tell you that Shawnie. It's best you don't know." Carlisle breathed, looking at Edward. Edward in turn steadied his stare towards Mandah's room.

"Oh, just go Edward. I've got things under control." Carlisle told him and with that, in blur, Edward was at her door, opening it gently and letting himself in.

"Derek caused some major bruising to Mandah's face. Broke several ribs, 3 fingers. As far as I can tell, there is no internal bleeding. The broken ribs came very close to puncturing her heart and lungs. She's very lucky." The look on his face was disgust for Derek and sympathy for Mandah. This man was very comforting.

"Jake, please watch after her. I think she's in shock. Keep her company and maybe get her something to eat and drink." Carlisle got up off her knee and headed towards the cottage door which was somehow, reattached.

"Call me if you need me, Jake. It was a pleasure to meet you Shawnie, perhaps next time it will be under better circumstances." He dipped his head and was gone.

Jake eyed me nervously and began pacing.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, not making eye contact.

Words escaped me though I knew what I wanted to say. My mouth would not cooperate. It just hung open awkwardly.

"I'll get you something to eat." he offered. His voice full of rejection. My heart broken. I needed to speak. Why couldn't I speak to him?

He returned with a plate of food from the restaurant we had stopped at. He used the fork in his hands to spear a heady mouthful of chicken Caesar salad.

"Open up." he said, staring at the fork.

I opened my mouth and he fed me.

"Jake, I can feed myself." I said with a mouthful of food. He flinched away with more rejection. I grabbed his hand and took the fork, setting it down. I grabbed his hand again and lifted it to my mouth. I flipped it over so that the palm was facing upward. I placed a kiss directly in the center. Slowly I raised my eyes to meet his.

"Thank you for saving my friend." I breathed.

He lunged at me, taking my face roughly between his hands. He caught me off guard and I gasped for a breath, I inhaled Jake. My fingertips grasped at his hot skin, trying hard to pull him onto me harder. He slid a hand under my back and pulled me up, arching me onto his bare chest. My hands were in his hair. Our mouths, hot against one another, were moving with an urgency I'd never felt before. He was more than boy, more than man and he would be mine. He broke free of my mouth and stared down at me, panting. He stood quickly and scooped me up, heading down the hall towards my room.

Once inside he set me down and took 2 steps deeper into the room before turning to look me in the eye again. I don't know what took over me, but I could NOT not have his skin on mine. I tore at my shirt, desperate to remove it, and jumped at him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He lips found my neck as we melted to the floor.

He pulled the left strap of my bra down and his lips traveled down my neck to my chest. I reached my arms around and unhooked it. He tore it off me, more impatient that I was. Lifted me higher in one bounce and I closed my eyes. I waited for his mouth to be on me, where no ones mouth had ever been before. I felt his tongue trail between my breasts, making it's way along the bottom of the left one. He blew cool air on the trail he made and I felt my skin freeze.

Suddenly, through the cold sensation, I felt fire. I looked down to see what caused it and I saw Jake's mouth on my nipple. His fingers ran down my back roughly, causing enough pain that I arched my back. He leaned forward and laid me on my bed. The look on his face was fear and intensity. I'm sure my face mirrored his own. I was terrified yet never so ready. I unbuttoned my pants to show him I was still on the same page and a look came into his eye I didn't recognize. He reached down and looped his fingers into my pants, ripping them and my panties from me. He threw them to the ground as his eyes drank in the view of me, naked, vulnerable, his....in front of him.

I blushed. I wished he'd stop staring. His mouth opened and a little sigh escaped. He climbed onto the bed and on top of me. He kissed me deeply on the mouth and then my neck. His hands were all over my body. My arms, my stomach, my legs but never where I wanted them the most. He slid his hand up my inner right thigh and finally, his hand found it's mark. I arched into him again as he slid a finger into me. I reached down and grabbed for his zipper. After I got it undone, he stood and slid them off and I could see he was extremely ready. I wanted him inside of me more than I'd ever wanted anything.

How could I feel this way about someone I just met? All I could tell myself was...Jake wasn't just anybody. I tried to shut the thoughts off and enjoy the moment. I was about to become his in a very real way.

I tried pulling his waist down towards me but he resisted. "Not yet..." he breathed against my stomach.

I felt chills throughout my whole body. He kissed my stomach, lower and lower. "Please!" I begged.

Suddenly, hotter than I had ever imagined, his slid his tongue against my most sensitive parts. I had not been expecting it, I squealed from surprise. My hands immediently shot to his hair. He glanced up at me, gauging my reaction, whether he should stop. I smiled at him and his eyes lit up. He returned to what he was doing, licking and nibbling at my clit. I thought I would lose my mind, I didn't know pleasure like this existed. "Please!" I finally screamed. I needed him inside me, there was no more waiting.

He could hear it in my voice and repsonded by crawling up my body, kissing my shoulders as he readied himself to enter me. I held my breath and closed my eyes, waiting for the pain.

"No Shawnie, open your eyes...." he sighed.

I slowly opened them and he placed a hand on the side of my face. He continued to stare intensely into my eyes as he slid into me. There WAS pain, but it was nothing I had expected. It was the best pain I'd ever felt in my life. We rocked back and forth together, building up to an ending he never let come. We were sweaty and breathing hard. I had never felt so close to someone. After moving from the bed, to the floor, back to the bed, after being on the bottom, top and bottom again, Jake suddenly changed his rhythm. Things became more serious. The rhythm was working up me, higher and higher...I felt like I was living for the first time. I screamed as everything came crashing down inside me. "I love you, Shawnie..." he gasped, feeling the same thing I was. There was a look of pain on his face that I knew was caused by extreme pleasure. It lasted forever. He collapsed on top of me, both of us scrambling for air. "I love you, too, Jake." I said as I wiped the little bit of sweat off of his forehead before I kissed it.

"My Shawnie..." he smiled, closing his eyes.


End file.
